The things that go so well with pasta also are enticing. Sauces, cheese, basil, spices, meats and even bacon on occasion all mix in well with pasta. Not only can you smother pasta in cheese, you can stuff pasta with cheese. When you add cheese and pasta together, it’s a combination hard to resist.

You make pasta boiled on a stove and tossed in a good sauce, baked or even cold in a salad.

In a word, pasta is amazing.

One day I want to live in a world that tells me pasta is healthy and I can eat at much of it as I want and it will all be OK.

Because of this overwhelming love of pasta, Pinterest becomes a dangerous place with many photos and recipes of delicious looking pasta.

After scrolling through the site one day, a recipe for Tortellini Salad caught my eye. It not only sounded good by the description, the colors that went together in the photos of the dish looked gorgeous.

What’s best about this dish is that it is easy but looks and tastes fabulous after it’s put together.

After cooking the tortellini the remainder of the work is just chopping the ingredients and tossing it together with pasta. It’s just that simple. Instead of chopping up the pepperoni, you probably can find mini-pepperonis that will work.

The green basil mixed with the reds of the tomatoes and pepperoni create a beautiful color pallet against the tortellini.

All of the flavors blend together for a light tasting pasta salad.

After making the dish, I took it to my mom’s house. She too is a fan of pasta.

She took a few bites and immediately asked for the recipe. The liked it so much she fixed the dish for her homemakers meeting last week.

Mom’s approval on food is big so the fact that this was a hit makes the recipe even better.

Just because it’s a cold pasta doesn’t mean it has to be limited as a side item. This dish also works as a main course.

Tortellini Salad is a pasta recipe I quickly fell in love with and plan on fixing on numerous occasions.

Becca Owsley can be reached at 270-505-1741 or bowsley@thenewsenterprise.com.

Cook tortellini according to package directions; drain and rinse with cold water and drain again. Transfer cooked tortellini to a large bowl and add remaining ingredients. Toss well. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.